a bleeding purple utah jazz blog

Quick Offseason Odds and Ends

1. Matt Harpring will be returning to the Jazz as a TV analyst next season. I loved the work he did last season, so yay for that! This offseason just keeps getting better and better. The Jazz’s next priority should be getting Karl in here to coacheducate Fes and AJ. (Jazz Front Office: Karl is willing, and has turned down all the offers he’s received from other teams so far. He’s already in Utah twice a month. GET ON IT. Seriously.)

Here’s a recent shot of Matty from his basketball camp. His knees are deeply embarrassed to be out in public naked.

2. A great Facebook photo that made me laugh:

3.Fanfest Quotes
KFAN: “Laker series leave a bitter taste in your mouth?”
Ronnie P: “Always, you know I hate the Lakers more than anybody.” [Ronnie P’s answer is punctuated with a “Yeah!” from the crowd.]

Al Jefferson: “I just got into town today but I’m here to stay, so for the next two months I’m going to be here.” / “It’s a dream to me [to be in Utah]. A dream I don’t want anyone to wake me up from. I’m very happy to be here.” / Al also apparently had a hard time believing that 3,000 fans showed up just to see the new jerseys, and likened it to the crowd at a Wolves game lol.

CJ: “I come back every year first week of September and spend the whole month here, and that’s pretty much when everybody starts to roll in. We play pickup games together, we work out together, so we get a good month–especially this year I think guys will roll in a little bit earlier…because we have new guys and it’ll be fun to be able to get in there and work out and…play with them. … Coach likes to see everybody here too, which is why our team has always been so tight, because we always do everything together.” (Fanfest audio)

Barkley: “The coach can’t say it, but he knows it. Dream Team II was a nightmare. We had guys bitching about playing time, arguing with Coach Wilkens. I said to Scottie and Karl, ‘Man, I played with Larry Bird and Michael Jordan and we didn’t have a problem, so what the hell is wrong with these guys?'”

My mom, C, and I all agree that Shaq was Bitch Numero Uno. Mom and I both think Reggie Miller was Bitch #2, while C and I think Penny must’ve been next in line since he and Shaq were probably fighting with each other.

5. When the Dream Team was inducted into the Hall of Fame and Magic was introducing each player, did you notice that David Robinson (fourth Dream Teamer introduced) was the first one to receive applause, Stock (5th) was the first one to receive applause and cheers, and Karl (6th) received the loudest ovation by far? Drexler and Mullin (who came next) got a little applause, and then it was back to silence. (Start watching around the 3:20 mark.)